Omaha daily bee., 1887-01-03
DEATH OF MILTON TOOTLE
The Millionaire Dry Goods Merchant Passes
Away at His Home in St. Joe,
A PARALYTlc STROKE THE CAUSE
Sketch OF His Life and the Many Bust.
ness Enterprises With Which
He Was Connccted-No
Will Left.
A Pub,ic.sp;ritcJ Man Gone,

ST. JosErH, Mo-, Jan. = Special Tele-
gram to the BEE. Mr.. Milton Tootle, st.
Joseph's foremost citizen and leading busi-
ness man, died at ( 10 O'Clock this afternoon,
OF hemiplegia, or paralysis. Death was alb
solutely painless and for twcnty-four hours
preceding II the deceased had been In deep
stupor or Inconsistencies. lie was sur
rounded in his lasi moments by his family
and few intimate friends. II Is too early
an hour to learn anything about the condi-
tion in which Mr.. Tootlo leaves his estate.
Nothing is known of the eNislcuce of will.
His wife and business partners know moth
ing about one. As by the law OF Missouri
the death Of a member OF firm dis
solves q co.partncrshp, Too,le, Hosea n
Co. are no longer in existence as firm and q
reorganization of tho house will be necessary.
If there is a will, however, there may be %
clause in it perpetuating the firm. rough
estimate by those who are in a position to
know calculate the wealth accumulated by
Mr. Tootle to aggregate SA,joo0oo
1t is not possible in the short space which
can be devoted to the sad affair at this time
to speak in detail of the expressions of the
community over the death of SO eminent q
man. Mr.. Tootlc's fame was not confined to
ST. Joseph. lie was known all over the
country i'll financial circles, and in the west
particularly. For years he was the most
conspicuous character III commercial circles
of the Mississippi river
Milton Tootle was born February % 1928,
tant his father, John rootlc, moved TO
Marion county, Ohio, where young rootle
received in the common schools the rudi-
ments of an English education. About the
year 1886 his father removed to Jersey
county, Illinois, when Milton, only thirteen
years OF age, entered a mercantile house.
Soon after he entered the store OF his uncle
another part of the country. He was then
employed as clerk by MI. George Smith.
In -? Mr. Smith moved to Savannah. In
part of it to Atchison county, giving MIR.
rootle exclusive charge of this new house.
Here he remained one year. In lsiS he en-
Holt county, Mo. In 1912 at the request of
his old patron, Mr. Smith, he came to st.
Joseph where he was given an interest in
hs sm hoqSs o snd k"ST M m s at s% Nf
his two brothers and William Fallelgh, pur-
chased the stock and began business under
shortly afterwards established houses in
Sioux City, Council B!uits and Omaha.
Mr., Tootle has always been man of great
enterprise and has done much to enlarge and
improve and beautify the city which has
been for many years his home. TO all public
enterprises he was a free and liberal conribu-
tor and has has undertaken m SOM some Of great imnor,,
In 1872 he erected the handsome amusement
edice, Toot e's opera house. of which ST.
Joseph is so proud. at a cost of SlG5.0O0 Mr..
Tootle was married in January. 1876 to the
daughter Of James l.. O'Neill. cashier of the
Western Bank of Missouri. ilr has living
his wife and three children-Fannie. aged
aged eleven. In February, 1873, Mr.. Tootle
united with the First Presbyterian church.
The death of Mr. Tootc is n loss To
Omaha's wholesale interests. lie was Il Q
senior member of the firm Of IoOtle Maui n
Co., the oldest wholesale dry goods establish
ment in Omaha. 1t cannot yet be de er-
mined what effect his death will have upon
the business of his Omaha house.